Sharks are a long-bodied chiefly marine fish with a cartilaginous skeleton, a prominent dorsal fin, and toothlike scales. Sharks play an essential role in the marine ecosystem, however they are at risk of extinction due to overfishing. Overfishing is the deplete of the stock of fish in any body of water by too much fishing.
"Sharks are caught for their fins for use in shark fin soup, a delicacy in Asia. The fins are cut off with the dead carcass being thrown back into the sea. Sharks grow slowly and take years to reproduce, which makes them vulnerable to overfishing. The researchers estimated that global reported catches, unreported landings, discards and sharks caught and thrown back after their fins were cut off – a process known as finning – added up to 97 million fish caught in 2010."
Not only are sharks at risk of overfishing, they can potentially harm the whole marine ecosystem, especially the coral reefs. Shark fishing has managed to have quite an effect on the coral reef ecosystems. The climate change pressures threaten the reefs, offering an opportunity to isolate the impact of over-fishing of sharks on reef resilience.
"Where shark numbers are reduced due to commercial fishing, there is also a decrease in the herbivorous fishes which play a key role in promoting reef health."
The findings indicate that reefs depleted of sharks may be slower to recover from longer-term disturbances, including cyclones and bleaching events. Accordingly, the results suggest that protecting small reefs from shark fishing could make these ecosystems more resilient to the effects of climate change."
-Melissa Villabol
Citations:
"Sharks at Risk of Extinction from Overfishing, Say Scientists." The Guardian. Press Assocation, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.
"Sharks are caught for their fins for use in shark fin soup, a delicacy in Asia. The fins are cut off with the dead carcass being thrown back into the sea. Sharks grow slowly and take years to reproduce, which makes them vulnerable to overfishing.
The researchers estimated that global reported catches, unreported landings, discards and sharks caught and thrown back after their fins were cut off – a process known as finning – added up to 97 million fish caught in 2010."
Not only are sharks at risk of overfishing, they can potentially harm the whole marine ecosystem, especially the coral reefs. Shark fishing has managed to have quite an effect on the coral reef ecosystems. The climate change pressures threaten the reefs, offering an opportunity to isolate the impact of over-fishing of sharks on reef resilience.
"Where shark numbers are reduced due to commercial fishing, there is also a decrease in the herbivorous fishes which play a key role in promoting reef health."
The findings indicate that reefs depleted of sharks may be slower to recover from longer-term disturbances, including cyclones and bleaching events. Accordingly, the results suggest that protecting small reefs from shark fishing could make these ecosystems more resilient to the effects of climate change."
-Melissa Villabol
Citations:
"Sharks at Risk of Extinction from Overfishing, Say Scientists." The Guardian. Press Assocation, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.
"ENN: Environmental News Network -- Know Your Environment." Wildlife and Habitat Conservation News: Shark Overfishing Hurts Coral Reefs. Mongabay.com, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.